04/10/2026
MAPÚA’S INTRAMUROS CAMPUS HAS A FRANCISCAN PAST
The land where Mapúa University’s Intramuros campus now stands was once part of the Franciscan complex of old Manila. It was home to the San Francisco Church and the Chapel of the Venerable Third Order of St. Francis, which stood among the important religious landmarks within the land where Mapúa University’s Intramuros campus now stands was once part of the Franciscan complex of old Manila. It was home to the San Francisco Church and the Chapel of the Venerable Third Order of St. Francis, which stood among the important religious landmarks within the walled city.
The Franciscan structures were destroyed during the Battle of Manila in 1945. After the war, the property was acquired by the Mapúa family, eventually becoming the site of Mapúa Institute of Technology’s Intramuros campus, which opened in 1956. Today, behind Mapúa’s historic façade and modern classrooms is a site with an older story, one that began with the Franciscan presence in Intramuros centuries ago.
